Archie's Funhouse: The Complete Series

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All Rise...

Judge Paul Pritchard took a trip to Archie's Funhouse. Complete waste of a time. Why didn't anyone tell him the place closed in 1971?

The Charge

"Welcome to Archie's Funhouse!"

Opening Statement

Archie's Funhouse arrives on DVD some 38 years after its initial run
on TV. Blending animation with a live studio audience, the show set out to
capitalize on the success of the previous two iterations of The Archie
Show, while offering up something a little different.

Facts of the Case

Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, Forsythe "Jughead" Pendleton Jones
III, Betty Cooper, and Veronica Lodge are names that will forever be revered,
for together they are (drum roll) The Archies—the greatest bubblegum pop
band the world has ever known!

Having had over two decades of success in the comic book world, the
characters went on to have their own TV series, The Archie Show, in 1968.
The series mixed the gang's wholesome adventures (raising money for the school
dance, for example), with the band performing a musical number. The follow-up
series, The Archie Comedy Hour took the same formula and threw in a new
character, Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

When The Archies returned to TV it was in a new format, a variety show for
kids. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Archie's Funhouse: The Complete
Series!

The Evidence

Being a) born some years after the show had run its course and b) born in
England, my knowledge of The Archies is somewhat limited. Aside from
"Sugar, Sugar," which I'm sure even inhabitants of the most remote
places on Earth have heard, my only other experience of the characters is Jason
Lee's and Dwight Ewell's hilarious discussion regarding Archie's and Jughead's
sexuality in Chasing Amy. So while trying
to work out whether Archie really is "the butch" in the relationship,
I sat down to enjoy Archie's Funhouse: The Complete Series.

Coming into the show without any preceding familiarity of it meant that I
wasn't in danger of being crushed if the show had aged badly. Of course, this
also meant I was coming into the show with fresh eyes, without fear of nostalgia
clouding my judgment, meaning there would be no easy let-offs for the show.

Taking on a live variety show format, the series is a mix of comedic skits
and musical performances aimed squarely at kids. In fact, the show even uses a
live studio audience made up of youngsters to add to the variety show feel. What
the hell they were showing the kids to get them so hyped up is anyone's guess,
but I'd imagine a lot of sugar-filled soda was involved.

Discs one and two of the three-disc set contain all 16 episodes of
Archie's Funhouse:

Acting as our host, Archie himself presents each segment with his typical
keenness. There are three different sections to each show, "Thunderbolt
Theatre," "The Giant Jukebox," and a number of short
sketches.

"Thunderbolt Theatre" is basically a quick fire round of
one-liners, with members of the cast paired up, and sports such gems as:

Betty: "Come on Ethel, guys like Jughead are a dime a dozen!" Ethel: "Here's a nickel, get me six."

Or…

Archie: "Moose, stop making faces in the mirror!" Moose:
(pointing to mirror) "Well, he started it!"

Oh, my aching sides! The section is knowingly corny and Hot Dog will
frequently show up, between gags, to comment on how awful the preceding joke
was.

The short sketches consist of music-hall style skits, where members of the
band get into misadventures. These range from the band going fishing to Veronica
and Betty giving Archie's car a clean, which involves pouring bleach and soap
into the engine.

Finally there's the "Giant Jukebox" where the group perform one of
their songs. While the band are best remembered for catchy numbers like
"Sugar, Sugar," the songs performed on the show were often more
socially aware, such as Mr. Factory's message about pollution or "We're One
Big Family," which deals with racial equality. Complete with videos that
offer a surprisingly good representation of the song's message, it adds a little
more depth to Archie's Funhouse.

The show's mix of animation and live studio audience is definitely a
success. Giving the show a unique look, it also offers a little more than just
the usual canned laughter track that most Filmation shows employed.

Eschewing any real narrative, Archie's Funhouse is one quick-fire gag
after another. Moving from a corny one liner one second to a clichéd joke
or Looney Tunes style mishap (usually featuring Big Ethel's attempts to
win over Jughead) the next, the show is relentless. In fact, I found the show's
mix of music and comedy to be similar to The Muppet Show, which came some
years later. Unfortunately, unlike Jim Henson's masterpiece, The Archies lack
that spark of genius that immortalized Kermit, Fozzie and Miss Piggy as iconic
TV stars. The belly laughs that still ensure The Muppets are worth watching are
replaced by a more groan-inducing style of humor that, though able to raise the
odd laugh, means potential for repeated viewings is somewhat limited. The show's
fast pace and goofy enthusiasm is infectious and makes for an entertaining 20
minutes; just don't expect to find yourself partaking in an Archie's
Funhouse marathon. The series is good old-fashioned family entertainment
that is inoffensive and often provides a message in its many musical numbers.
While the show may teach such important lessons as racial equality, judging from
the treatment of Moose, it's not above taking cheap shots at those less mentally
equipped than us.

Special features for the set are impressive for such an old show. The bonus
episodes featured on Archie's Funhouse: The Complete Series were
originally broadcast as part of the show's predecessor, The Archie Comedy
Hour. Running at considerably less than the hour the title implies, the show
was comprised of reruns of The Archie Show, and used story-based
narratives compared to Funhouse's skit
based format and proves to be more enjoyable for it. Still, the "side
show" sequences that frequently pop up hint at the direction later seasons
would take. Next up we have the "Archie and His New Pals TV Special,"
which utilizes a format similar to The Archie Show and introduces
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Again this is more fulfilling that the
Funhouse episodes.

For fans wanting to take a peek behind the scenes there's the Ron Dante
featurette. Offering an interesting look at the work that went into creating the
group, and detailing their success, I found the feature to be surprisingly
interesting; for hardcore Archies fans I'd imagine it would be a highlight of
the set. The "jukebox" feature allows the viewer to play the songs
featured in the show back individually. Finally there are the complete videos
for "Jingle Jangle" and The Archies biggest hit, "Sugar,
Sugar."

Audio and video are very much limited by the show's age. Perfectly
acceptable, the full-screen transfer contains a few scratches and specks of
dirt, but for the most part is pretty good. The audio may only be a mono track,
yet it does its job and at least perfectly replicates how the show was
originally broadcast.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

The repetition of Archie's Funhouse is certainly an issue. I can't see
anyone but the most ardent fan sitting through more than a couple of episodes in
one go. The show's skit-based format and knowingly corny humor means that one
episode quickly blurs into the next. Although it's by no means poor, when
compared to the bonus episodes included in the set, Archie's Funhouse is
revealed to be the runt of the Archie's litter.

Closing Statement

Had this review been for the Funhouse episodes only, the final scores
would tally up quite differently. But as this review is taking into account the
whole package, the extra features and bonus episodes included, things turn out
very much more positively than they otherwise might have. Classic Media have put
out a great little package here that earns them a recommendation.

The Verdict

Perhaps I'm a sucker for old cartoon shows, maybe I was pepped up on soda and
chocolate, but either way I'm letting The Archies go free. The verdict on Archie
and Jughead's relationship however, is still very much up in the air.